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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Manning 'Not Guilty' of Aiding Enemy But Guilty of 19 Others

See my piece at The Nation. I was on Democracy Now! with Jeremy Scahill in the aftermath. Just-released transcript of judge's full rulings--again, hat-tip to Press Freedom foundation. My book on case with Kevin Gosztola, one of very few to cover hearings and trial for over a year, now updated. NYTcollects reactions. UPDATE: Gosztola just said on Democracy Now that sentencing arguments may take two to three weeks. Will be very "contentious" with no "stipulation" of testimony. As I've noted, more than a dozen witnessed lined up by both sides. Defense calling more witnesses than in trial.

Here's statement from Manning family, from an aunt, sent to The Guardian:

While we are obviously disappointed in today’s verdicts, we are happy
that Judge Lind agreed with us that Brad never intended to help
America’s enemies in any way. Brad loves his country and was proud to
wear its uniform.

We want to express our deep thanks to David Coombs, who has dedicated
three years of his life to serving as lead counsel in Brad’s case. We
also want to thank Brad’s Army defense team, Major Thomas Hurley and
Captain Joshua Tooman, for their tireless efforts on Brad’s behalf, and
Brad’s first defense counsel, Captain Paul Bouchard, who was so helpful
to all of us in those early confusing days and first suggested David
Coombs as Brad’s counsel.

Most of all, we would like to thank the
thousands of people who rallied to Brad’s cause, providing financial and
emotional support throughout this long and difficult time, especially
Jeff Paterson and Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support
Network. Their support has allowed a young Army private to defend
himself against the full might of not only the US Army but also the US
Government.

ACLU statement:

A military court-martial today found Pfc. Bradley Manning guilty of
multiple charges under the Espionage Act for giving classified material
to WikiLeaks, but not guilty of aiding the enemy.

"While we're relieved that Mr. Manning was acquitted of the most
dangerous charge, the ACLU has long held the view that leaks to the
press in the public interest should not be prosecuted under the
Espionage Act," said Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy
and Technology Project. "Since Manning already pleaded guilty to charges
of leaking information – which carry significant punishment – it seems
clear that the government was seeking to intimidate anyone who might
consider revealing valuable information in the future."

Amnesty International’s Senior Director of International Law and Policy Widney Brown said:

“The government’s priorities are upside down. The US government has
refused to investigate credible allegations of torture and other crimes
under international law despite overwhelming evidence.

“Yet they decided to prosecute Manning who it seems was trying to do
the right thing - reveal credible evidence of unlawful behaviour by the
government. You investigate and prosecute those who destroy the
credibility of the government by engaging in acts such as torture which
are prohibited under the US Constitution and in international law.

“The government’s pursuit of the ‘aiding the enemy’ charge was a
serious overreach of the law, not least because there was no credible
evidence of Manning’s intent to harm the USA by releasing classified
information to WikiLeaks.

“Since the attacks of September 11, we have seen the US government
use the issue of national security to defend a whole range of actions
that are unlawful under international and domestic law.

“It’s hard not to draw the conclusion that Manning's trial was about
sending a message: the US government will come after you, no holds
barred, if you're thinking of revealing evidence of its unlawful
behaviour.”

is author of a dozen books (click on covers at right), including the new "THE TUNNELS: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill." He was the longtime editor of Editor & Publisher. Email: epic1934@aol.com. Twitter: @GregMitch

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is author of a dozen books (click on covers at right), including the new "THE TUNNELS: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill." He was the longtime editor of Editor & Publisher. Email: epic1934@aol.com. Twitter: @GregMitch